


Tongue Tied

by janetcarter



Category: Babylon 5
Genre: AU where Talia wasn't Control, Comedy, F/F, F/M, Talia and Delenn confirmed moronsexuals
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2019-01-28
Updated: 2019-01-28
Packaged: 2019-10-18 10:37:12
Rating: General Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 420
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/17579270
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/janetcarter/pseuds/janetcarter
Summary: Some traditions transcend race. Aka, Ivanova and Sheridan compete over who can tie a cherry stem with their tongues fastest.





	Tongue Tied

**Author's Note:**

> I intentionally revised this to have 420 words. It probably wasn't the wisest idea, but as the religious caste totally says: "420 Praise It."

"That's a load of crap," John yells. He jumps from his seat, ripping a Te'nai berry from its stem.

Susan grins, fiddling with a stem of her own between her fingers. She sits beside Talia, one leg folded over the other. "And how much are you willing to bet on it?"

"50 credits."

She laughs. "Deal."

"I'd back out if I were you," Talia warns him.

"No way." He turns to Mayan. His need to win long ago drowned out any goal to make an appealing first impression. "We'll need a neutral party to decide a winner." John points to himself with his thumbs.

"I will… do what I can."

"It'll be easy," Susan assures her. "All you'll need to do is say 'Ivanova' when I win."

"I see." As Susan stands opposite him, Mayan leans to Delenn. "This is not how I expected the evening to unfold."

"I must admit the same." Delenn bites into a Te'nai, juice spilling onto her tongue. It no longer tastes as sweet as it did before her transformation, as when she and Mayan picked them from temple gardens in their youth. Despite her recent changes, the memories allow it to remain one of her favorites.

"You may begin."

As John and Susan toss the stems into their mouths, Mayan plucks one from the bunch. Not taking her eyes off the two competitive humans, she passes its stem to Delenn.

The intensity with which Susan and John stared each other down could cut through the station's hull, jaws and lips ferociously contorting. Pulling out the stems, they whip around to Mayan.

"Well?"

"Who won?"

"Me, obviously!" Susan holds up the tightly tied stem. Talia nods.

"I finished first!" John yells, looking to Mayan. "Didn't I finish first?"

"But look at how loose his is!"

He yanks his out of sight. "Now, now. Let's let the lady decide."

Mayan stares at them, hands folded in her lap. Cutting into the eternal silence, she proudly announces: "Delenn."

"What?"

Delenn holds up three stems, all perfectly tied. "Was this not the objective?"

Susan and John look at one another, mouths agape.

"Didn't you know she could do that?" asks Susan.

"Well, uh, it's never come up."

"What do you mean it's never come up?"

Holding several berries, Talia takes Susan's arm. She whispers something about a "private demonstration" in her ear.

"Well, we should head home." Susan shoves John's shoulder as she walks by, taking one last glance at his crumpled stem. "Should've stuck to oranges, John."


End file.
